There were plenty of ideas and inspiration for pet retailers at Crufts this year.  Stands full of baked treats merchandised as if they were for humans, a myriad of raw food suppliers, big increases in the sales of harnesses, delightful doggy bow ties and collars and a few nervous suppliers awaiting news on how new ranges sell through in the coming weeks at PATS and at retail.

Baked pet foods were plentiful and there were some great mouth watering displays on show from the big brands and the smaller direct supplier such as Daisysdogdeli.co.uk

Several stands reported a further uplift in harness sales, including Perfect Fit.  Flexi continue to gain good sales at Crufts, although they did feel Sunday was quieter than normal, which may have been due to Mother's Day.

From the myriad of raw pet food suppliers at the the show, Peter Roy from Natures Menu was the most nervous.  The sell in to the trade and customer reaction to the freeze dried True Instinct range has been great but they now wait with baited breath to see how the products sell through during their first week on sale.

One of the busiest stands at Crufts on Sunday was the Zoflora stand. A brightly decorated stand with plenty of colourful artificial flowers and Zoflora smells was certainly selling plenty of product. It seems this range of fragrant disinfectants is becoming the hygiene product of choice for pet owners.

The other trend we saw on quite a few stands that we think would work well for pet retailers who are looking for something special are coordinated collars, bandanas and bow ties.  Ditsy Pet from Nottingham had a particularly enticing display and they are looking for a few retailers to become stockists.  If you are interested contact: aaron@ditsypet.co.uk or visit www.ditsypet.co.uk

On a final note, did any other trade visitors to Crufts see the Butternut Box stand?  Here's a London company creating bespoke menus in their kitchens and delivering weekly supplies, frozen, to dog owners. We didn't get a chance to talk with them as there was always a crowd of visitors at the stand, and maybe they have been to Crufts before but if this idea has legs then maybe regional versions may spring up across the country.  https://butternutbox.com

For more pictures of these ideas and other images that may help inspire some creative pet retailing see our Crufts 2018 gallery below: